Jamia Ahmadiyya UK, Germany and Canada Convocations take place in Joint Ceremony

43 graduates receive their Shahid degrees from Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is pleased to announce that on 25 March 2018, the 6th Convocation Ceremony for Jamia Ahmadiyya UK, the 7th Convocation Ceremony forJamia Ahmadiyya Canada and the 3rd Convocation Ceremony for Jamia Ahmadiyya Germany took place in a combined event at the UK college premises in Haslemere, Surrey.

The World Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, the Fifth Khalifa (Caliph), His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad presided over the ceremony and delivered the keynote address.

During the ceremony, 18 graduates from Jamia Ahmadiyya UK, 14 graduates from Jamia Ahmadiyya Canada and 11 graduates from Jamia Ahmadiyya Germany were presented with their ‘Shahid Degree’ certificates by Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad and were thus enrolled as official Missionaries and Imams of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.

Following the presentation, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad delivered a faith-inspiring address, in which he reminded the young Imams that they should fulfil their pledge of devoting their lives for the sake of Islam.

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:

“What is the objective of dedicating your life for the sake of your faith? It is to make every possible effort towards fulfilling the mission of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) and so at every moment of your lives you must strive towards achieving this. Remember, the Promised Messiah’s (peace be upon him) mission was to revive the true teachings of Islam and to establish the Oneness of God Almighty and to spread the true message of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) throughout the world.”

His Holiness said that society was becoming increasingly materialistic and drawn towards atheism. He said reversing this trend was the great challenge of the time for the young Imams.

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:

“It is your duty to safeguard humanity by bringing it back towards God Almighty. This is the real purpose of devoting your lives and to achieve this supreme goal, you must seek to fulfil your potential and to utilise all your faculties and capabilities. Remember, this is no easy task and so you will have to be fully determined and never waver in your efforts.”

His Holiness said that first and foremost the Imams must continually develop their personal relationship with Allah the Almighty.

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:

“The Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) stated very clearly that our ambitions can only be realised through prayers and a person can only sincerely pray if there exists a relationship with God Almighty. Hence, you must wage a personal Jihad of self-reformation and improvement.”

His Holiness drew the attention of the new graduates towards the importance of congruity in their words and actions and said that it was essential that they practiced what they preached.

His Holiness emphasised this point by quoting chapter 61, verse 4 of the Holy Quran, which states:

“Most hateful is it in the sight of Allah that you say what you do not do.”

His Holiness said that the Imams had a duty to manifest excellent morals in their personal lives.

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:

“You must show a high moral example of dealing with your family members. If you deliver a speech on how to resolve family matters and how to create a good relationship between spouses and with children, whilst you yourself are not acting upon what you preach, your words will prove hollow, without value and fail to have an impact. Thus, becoming an Imam carries with it a great burden and a heavy personal responsibility.”

“Today, the world is in desperate need of people who have a living relationship with God and who feel compassion for His Creation. The world needs people who can save mankind from falling further into an abyss of materialism. For this to be achieved, we must rely upon the power of earnest prayer.”

His Holiness also highlighted the importance of grace and compassion and said that an inherent part of Islam was to wish all people well.

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:

“Much wrongdoing and conflicts arise from the fact that people think ill of others. Thus, even if others think ill of you or treat you unkindly, you must not react in a like fashion. Rather, you must wish such people well and guide them with wisdom so that they come to realise the error of their ways and comprehend that whatever was in their hearts was false. This will only happen if your hearts are filled with love for others.”

Concluding his address, His Holiness prayed:

“May Allah enable you to fulfil the objectives of devoting your lives for the sake of Islam with fervency and devotion. May Allah enable you to become living examples of those who give precedence to their faith over all worldly matters.”